Mount Lorette (02 Apr 2023) 13 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 02, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 3 | 89 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Goshawk | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 12 | 30 | 1469 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 13 | 34 | 1587 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 12:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 3.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch |
| Observers: | Lynn Macintosh |
Visitors:
10 of 20 passersby stopped to find out what we were doing and where the eagles are going.
Weather:
The valley remained shrouded in cloud until 10am, delaying the start of the count. Calm winds and -0C temperature made for a lovely morning in the valley. Periods of relatively good visibility, of eagles if not of the ridges themselves, were interspersed with snow squalls from the south. The temperature rose to a high of +0C before falling back to -0C. Shortly after 1pm the winds shifted to the north, blowing in a wall of snow. Radar and forecasts indicated conditions would only worsen, and the count was concluded at 1:20pm MDT.
Raptor Observations:
We enjoyed a remarkably productive 200 minutes of monitoring raptor migration. A total of 12 migrating Golden Eagles were observed (6 adult, 6 unaged). They used both sides of the valley, some only appearing momentarily at Mt. Lorette before melting back into the clouds. Migrants on the west side of the valley appeared between Mt. Kidd and Mt. Bogart before disappearing behind Olympic Summit or into cloud. Migrants on the east side of the valley appeared low in front of Mt. Patrick. Poor visibility, low light, limited soaring, and brief views conspired to keep half of todayâs migrant eagles unaged. Other Migrant Raptors: a juvenile Northern Goshawk, with a full crop, circled low over the river before continuing north. Non-migrant Raptors: the resident Northern Goshawks were heard calling from the west side of the valley in the morning. A local adult Golden Eagle patrolled the area.
Non-raptor Observations:
At least four Varied Thrush were singing throughout the valley in the morning. Small skeins of Mallard and Canada Goose flew down the river. Pine Siskin, Pine Grosbeak, White-winged Crossbill, Dark-eyed Junco, and Mountain Chickadee were all singing as well. Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and American Robin all confined their vocalizations to calls.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo – [Project Details]
